Recruiting, Retaining, and Graduating College Students ...

[Pages:21]Recruiting, Retaining, and Graduating College Students

Jason Ross, Adjunct Instructor Somerset Community College MBA Candidate, Eastern Kentucky University

156 Brock Lane London, KY 40744 Jason_Ross29@mymail.eku.edu

606-862-9690

Lana Carnes (Corresponding author) Eastern Kentucky University BTC 11 Richmond, KY 40475 859-622-1377 Lana.Carnes@eku.edu

Recruiting, Retaining, and Graduating College Students

Retention rates vary among colleges, but their importance does not. Increasingly this measure of accountability is becoming more important to each faculty member and administrator on college campuses. Universities struggle every year to retain students, because student retention is critical to university success. Public colleges receive federal funding based, in part, on retention and graduation rates. If a college struggles to retain students, the graduation rates suffer. Colleges must create techniques and strategies to increase their graduation rates without jeopardizing the rigor and relevance of their courses. Statement of the Problem

This article will examine how colleges and universities can become better student recruiters, increase student retention numbers, and produce more graduates. Method of Collecting Data

The data for this report were collected through an extensive literature review and semi-structured interviews with three collegiate administrators/counselors located in Kentucky colleges. These interviews included questions regarding strategies for recruiting, retaining, and graduating students.

Literature Review The following literature review will examine the secondary data based on the following categories: recruiting, retaining, and graduating college students.

Recruiting Students Colleges recruit students who have very different backgrounds and skill sets

necessitating recruiting strategies to attract very different individuals. Weinstein (2009, p.367) states "In an era of so many challenges, however, developing a recruiting strategy that consistently attracts a steady stream of talented and motivated students is critical." Colleges must ensure students have a realistic picture of the expectations of the school and engage students to ensure students can meet expectations (Tomkinson, Warner, Renfrew, 2002). Colleges should desire to do a better job screening student interests and talents with each college's competitive advantage (Heilbronner, Connell, Dobyns, Reis, 2010).

Colleges struggle to differentiate themselves among students. Some students may only look at prestige or cost of an institution. Competition for students is increasing leading schools to generate innovative strategies to attract more students (Fischbach, 2006). One innovative strategy is to view recruiting as customer service. Customer satisfaction is considered key, with attracting and retaining students, as it is with business (Hadfield, 2003). Hadfield says, "How do we focus our recruiting efforts on a target that is so diverse and is always moving and changing?" (2003, p.18).

Hadfield suggests making college feel like a community (2003, p.18). Colleges should cater to their student populations and make everyone feel welcome. Colleges must demonstrate customer service since many students consider themselves clients (Bean, 2005).

Retaining Students One of the most challenging goals for any college is to increase retention, but it is

one of the most important goals. "Student success is predicted by continuity and intensity of the enrollment, along with the content of the curriculum" (Handel, 2009, p.52). Other studies have shown the major predictors of retention are academic entry level and age (Schofield, Dismore, 2010, p.207).

Universities vary in terms of retention rates, and many use benchmarking for comparison purposes. Factors accounting for variations of retention rates include: institutional selectivity, academic preparation, and financial aid (Singell, Waddell, 2010, p.546). Financial aid can be a major factor for many students since meeting financial obligations is troublesome for students from disadvantaged areas and backgrounds (Gordon, Copes, 2010, p.12).

Predicting retention and identifying reasons for student withdrawal is troublesome, since identifying reasons for withdrawal is difficult to pinpoint (Nichols, 2010). Nichols infers many students hide their reasons for withdrawal due to low selfesteem. Many students find themselves too burdened with nowhere to turn (2010, p.101). One key to improving student retention was thought to be improved social integration through enhanced methods of communication (Heaton-Shrestha, May, Burke, 2009 p.83). Graduating Students

Very little literature exists on improving graduation rates. Most of the literature relates to retention. A sense of involvement and belonging impact student success and

retention (Credle, Dean, Gary, 1991). When students feel a part of something, that drive pushes them to keep going when times get tough; and they are more likely to graduate.

Analysis of Recruiting, Retaining, and Graduating Strategies The analysis of the administrator interviews will be discussed in three main areas: recruitment techniques and strategies, retention techniques and strategies, and graduation techniques and strategies. Recruitment Techniques and Strategies Many colleges are looking overseas for students, because higher education is internationalizing (Healey, 2008). With the ease of social media, some overseas students are increasing their knowledge about U. S. colleges. Another strategy that tends to work well for small, local colleges is recruiting non-traditional students over the age of 25 with developing careers. Many of these students are able to attend only part-time due to their jobs, families, and financial situations. Part-time enrollment allows these students to attend college when they generally would not be able to do so (Handel, 2009). Many of these students may have previous college experience, are changing careers, or going back to school (Catanzaro, 1999). Lutes (2004, p.39), suggests creating programs dedicated to older learners referred to the school via an outside agency. This program should help with: childcare, job placement, financial aid, and etc. Many larger schools enroll older learners and create clubs for older learners to socialize and create a sense of involvement with the school. Schools catering to traditional students use their own strategies to personalize the campus. Faculty and administrators want students to know that they will receive a

quality education. Schools want every student to feel special and not like a number, somewhat similar to a business marketing strategy where customers feel special and wanted.

Schools may create a personal feeling by having recruiters, faculty, and staff spend time inside local high schools and/or by taking students to a college to demonstrate what college is truly like. Schools may also take advantage of open houses, orientations, and announcements through high school counselors (Hetzel, Newcomb, Fuller, 2009). Open house is considered a major recruiting tool by California State University, Northridge, whose studies indicate open houses create a positive image for the university and students enjoy the chance to learn about their school (Fishbach, 2006).

Another recruiting technique is word of mouth. The best recruiters are simply faculty, students and alumni, since they know the quality of the education. If current students are happy with their education, they will tell their friends about it as well. Faculty members also play a role in recruiting, because they will relay the quality of the classroom instruction.

Measuring recruitment strategies. The ultimate goal of recruiting for colleges is to get a high number of acceptances into the classroom on the first day. Colleges admit a higher number of students than matriculate to the school. Universities compare themselves against their competition and the national conversion rate of 45%. The bottom line for colleges is to increase enrollment without limits to a particular type of student. Some students will be admitted although they are a poor fit for the school, and colleges

must inspect student qualifications and student interest in the college because most likely these students will not be retained.

Recruiting best students. The best students apply early and apply to many schools. A quick response is important to recruit these students. If a school takes too long to reply, the highly-sought-after students have already decided to go somewhere else. Another technique used to recruit the best students is relaying scholarship qualifications. For many students, financial concerns are a large part of the decision concerning where the student ultimately enrolls. By letting a student know if he/she qualifies for a scholarship early, the school helps the student be aware of the reduced financial burden. Schools should be early and specific when communicating with students. If a school fails to make the student feel wanted and special and is unable to sell how unique the school is, the student tends to go elsewhere. Schools must have a planned communication strategy with high-priority students, since those students have many schools competing for them.

Targeted strategies. Many students including: minorities, students from disadvantaged areas, low socio-economic status, and first-generation students generally require special attention. These students have potential, but lack the guidance to successfully complete or even enroll in college. For many of these students, the family plays a very important role. Colleges may choose to have a specific recruiter for these targeted students. The recruiter should have a similar background to the student and must understand the struggles of the students and their families. Many families do not

understand the financial aid process and the help of a counselor is needed (Gordon, Copes, 2010).

Mentoring can play an important role in helping students in targeted groups. Many forms of mentoring are available including student-student mentoring, and advisor/advisee (Boyle, Kwon, Ross, Simpson, 2010). Mentoring may also take place over social media for some students including Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and Linked In. Online mentoring is especially important in online programs where students do not have direct social interactions with instructors (Barbour, Plough, 2009). These mentoring programs help engage online students.

Faculty, staff, and administrators must understand the needs of disadvantaged students (Credle, Dean, 1991). These students need to feel a sense of belonging to the institution and the success of the school (Credle, Dean, 1991). Credle goes on to outline some steps schools can take for minority students: examine philosophy and mission of school, establish rapport with minority students, and assist in career exploration. Haskins and Kirk-Sanchez (2006, p.20) added study skills assistance, cultural diversity classes, and critical thinking enhancement in order to help minority students.

First-generation students are very intriguing since they are not considered minorities by legal standards, but many schools create targeted strategies for these students.

Preparing students. Pre-college academic preparation is one of the largest hurdles facing colleges today. Many students take a plethora of developmental courses

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